Installation for bean sprout production

ABSTRACT

AFTER GERMINATION AND GROWTH OF A BATCH OF BEANS IN A STATION INCLUDING A WATER SPRAY, THE SPROUTED BEANS ARE CONVEYED TO A TROUGH THROUGH WHICH WATER FLOWS. IN THE TROUGH, THE BEANS ARE AGITATED TO RELEASE THE SPROUTS FROM THE BEAN SHELLS, WHICH FLOAT TO THE SURFACE OF THE WATER. THE SHELLS ARE REMOVED FROM THE SURFACE OF THE WATER, AND THE SPROUTS ARE REMOVED FROM THE TROUGH TO A PACKING STATION.

TAKETosHl sATo 397179085 INSTALLATION FOR BEAN SPROUT PRODUCTION 4 Sheets-Shea?. 1

Feb. 20, 1973 Filed Jan. 12. 1971 INVENTOR TAKETOSHI SATO Feb. 20, 1973 TAKETOSHI sA-ro 3,717085 INSTALLATION FOR BEAN SPROUT PRODUCTON Filed Jan. l2. 1971 4 Sheets-Sheet 2,

INVENTOR TAKETOSHI SATO Feb. 20, 1973 TAKE'rosHl sA-ro 3,717,085

INSTALLATION FOR BEAN SPROUT PRODUCTION Filed Jan. l2. 1971 4 Sheets-S1199?, 5

I f nos.

INVENTOR TAKETOSHI SATO Feb. 20, 1973 TAKErosHl sA-ro 7 3,717,085

INSTALLATION FOR BEAN SPROUT PRODUCTION Filed Jan. l2. 1971 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR TAKETOSHI SATO United States APatent Oice 3,717,085 Patented Feb. 20, 1973 3,717,085 INSTALLATION FOR BEAN SPROUT PRODUCTION Taketoshi Sato, Tokyo, Japan, assignor to San Rltsu Company Limited, Tokyo, Japan Filed Jan. 12, 1971, Ser. No. 105,845

Int. Cl. A01g 31/02 U.S. Cl. 99-516 8 Claims ABSTRACT oF 1HE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an installation for the production `of bean sprouts. At suitable temperatures and in the presence of water, air, and day-light, beans germinate and produce sprouts which develop in a matter of days. Bean sprouts are an important oriental foodstuff and whose consumption in other parts of the world is increasing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides an installation for the separation of bean sprouts from a batch of beans after germination and growth, comprising conveying the beans to a. trough through Which water flows, agitating the sprouted beans to release the sprouts from the bean shells, which float to the surface of the water, removing the shells from the surface of the water, and removing the sprouts from the trough to a packing station.

The installation is suitable for automatic operation and is capable of continuous treatment of successive batches of beans.

The invention also provides an installation for the production of bean sprouts, comprising a germination and growth station including a water spray, means for conveying sprouted beans from the station to a trough, means for providing a flow of water through the trough, at least one agitator adapted to release the sprouts from the bean shells, whereby the shells oat to the surface of the water, means for removing the shells from the surface of the water, and means for removing the sprouts from the trough to a packing station.

The shells may conveniently be removed from the water surface by allowing the water to overow through at least one gap at one side of the trough, so that the shells spill through the gap with the water, for instance, into a gutter leading to a drain. The sprouts may preferably be raised from the trough, for instance, by an endless conveyor.

The invention will be described further, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of part of an installation for producing bean sprouts;

FIG. 2 is a cut-away perspective view of a bucket in which germination takes place;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of a mobile water shower in the installation;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the mobile shower;

FIG. 5 is a sideelevation taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1;

FIG. y6 is an end elevation taken in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of part of the installation. v y l DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The installation illustrated includes a germinating platform 1 and sprouting chambers 2 housed in a building-3.

f A conveyor belt 4 runs past the ends of the chambers 2 processing of one batch of beans.

and has its discharge end arranged above a trough 5, which extends through the side wall 6 of the building 3 and runs alongside this wall. The detailed construction of the installation will be described with reference to the About 5.4 kg. of beans are weighed into each of a number of buckets (FIG. 2) having` a capacity of about 4.5 liters. Each bucket has a bottom -7 which slants towards a stoppered bung-hole 8 covered internally with f netting 8a to prevent the discharge of beans. Water at about 40 C. -is poured in until the bucket is about 80% full, and is stirred va'th a paddle; foreign material and broken beans form a scum, which is skimmed olf. The beans are allowed to soak for 3-hours, and the Water is then drained through the bung-hole 8.

The buckets are arranged on the platform 1. A mobile water shower 9 (FIGS. 3 and 4) is mounted on rails for movement backwards and forwards above the platform 1 and chambers 2. Water is fed to a sprinkler 11, via parallel pipes 10, from coiled flexible pipes (not shown) which are hung so as to be slidable along the roof of the building 3. About three hours after arranging the buckets on the platform 1 the mobile s'hower 9 is operated to spray the 'buckets for a short period with water at 20 to 24 C. The movement and operation of the shower 9 are controlled automatically so that the buckets are sprayed every three hours.

After about a days soaking, the beans have germinated and are poured from the buckets into the sprouting chambers 2. Each chamber has side walls 12 and a rear wall 13, with a lower front wall 14 which is slidable in a vertical plane, each wall being of corrugated plastic material. The shower 9 moves along above the chambers 2 .every three hours to spray the sprouting beans.

After about four days in the sprouting chambers 2, the sprouts reach the optimum length and size; and kilogram of beans can yield 7 to 9 kg. of sprouts. The front walls 14 of the chambers are raised and the sprouted beans are raked on to the conveyor belt 4 which carries them to the trough 5.

Water from an inlet 15 (FIG. 7) carries the beans along the trough 5 past three mechanical agitators 16, 17. The first agitator 16 comprises beaters 18 extending radially from a shaft 19 which is rotated by a belt drive (not shown) to break the bean shells and release the sprouts. The two further agitators 17 serve mainly to drive the elongated sprouts along the trough 5I by a raking action, while hindering the forward motion of the shells floating on the surface of the water; they each comprise a drum 20 driven in rotation by the belt drive and bearing approximately tangential fingers 21. The water in the trough 5 overflows through gaps 22 arranged in side wall 23 of the trough before and after each agitator 16, 17. The bean shells float to the surface of the water and are carried with the Water through the gaps 22 into a channel 24 which discharges the water through a lilter basket 25 into a drain.

The bean sprouts are raised from the trough S by a conveyor belt 26 bearing racks 27. The water drains from the sprouts as they ascend with the belt 26. This belt discharges the sprouts into a chute 28 below with polyethylene bags 29 which are successively positioned to receive vthe sprouts, v'vhich'a'reV then ready for-shipment to market.

The above installation is capable of continuous production with only a small amountof manual labor and can yield up to two tons or more of bean sprouts per dayl, 4

I claim: y

1. An installation for the production of bean sprouts comprising: a germination and growth station including a row of compartments and a water spray mounted above the compartments. for motion back and forth along the row; a trough through which water flows; means for conveying sprouted beans from said stationv to the trough; at least one agitator in said trough to release the sprouts from the bean shells, whereby the shells oat to the surface of the water; means'for removing lthe shells from the surface of the water; and means Vfor vremoving the sprouts from the 'trough to a packing station.

'- agitator-is mechanical.

5. The installation as claimed in claim 1 in which said 6. The installation as claimed in claim 5 in which the mechanical agitator comprises a rotatable shaft mounted transversally of the trough and substantially radial arms mounted on the rotatable shaft.

7. The installation as claimed in claim 1 in which at least one side of the-troughis provided with at least one gap defining a-.water overow, whereby the shells spill through the gap with the water.`

8. The installation as'claimed in claim 1 in which said sprout removing means comprise an endless conveyor strand extending into the trough, and racks mounted upon the conveyor strand, whereby the sprouts areraised from 2. The installation as claimed in claim 1, in which said 2 the trough and moved to a point of discharge.

v i l v.References .Cited *UNITED STATES: 'PATENTS '2,522,409 9/1950 stoner 47-14 UX 2,159,619 t A,5419.19 Lisle 134-130 :FOREIGN PATENTS 1,098,581 3/1955 a 1rana.k v n 47 1.2

LEON G. MACHLIN, Primary Examiner 'v U.S. Cl. X.R. 

